The present invention relates to an improved apparatus and method for removal of valve springs from a cylinder head of a motorcycle engine, while the engine remains mounted to the frame of a motorcycle, and the cylinder head remains torqued onto a cylinder of the motorcycle engine.
As the popularity of motorcycling and motorcycle ownership has increased over time, owners of motorcycles, particularly owners of motorcycles powered by “V-Twin” engines, such as those produced by Harley-Davidson®, have become interested in improving the performance of their machines. In response to this market demand for improved performance, performance packages, such as the “Screamin' Eagle®” performance package upgrade by Harley-Davidson®, is gaining acceptance.
Performance packages often include high performance cams and stiffer valve springs, which necessitates removal of the stock valve springs that are replaced by the stiffer springs provided by the kit. A difficulty encountered in adapting performance packages to existing motorcycles is often the need to remove the cylinder heads from the cylinders, and at times the need to remove the cylinders from the lower end to access the valve springs. For nearly all “V-Twin” configured motorcycles, removal of valve springs necessitates removal of the cylinder heads, and once the cylinders are removed, gaskets need to be replaced and the heads re-torqued.
With increased demands from the market being brought to bear on installers to lower the cost for the installation of motorcycle performance improvement packages, there is a continuing need to reduce the installation time for installing motorcycle performance improvement packages, and it is to this need that the present invention is preferably directed.